back to article Unofficial Windows 7 SP1 beta stumbles onto interwebs

A beta copy of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 7 Service Pack 1 has apparently been leaked onto some Torrent sites. Redmond hasn’t confirmed a date for the release of Windows 7 SP1 yet. Despite that, a pre-release copy of the minor updates package appears to be unofficially available for download online. We asked Microsoft if it …

COMMENTS

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  1. Stone Fox
    Happy

    hopefully

    some enterprising geek will figure out if it's got WGA icluded and how to disable it.

    Not that my copy of 7 is bent, I just find the nagware annoying.

    All hail chew WGA! (if you don't know what that is, google it)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Beta test a service pack

    So by 'accidentally' having the service pack leak on to the net Microsoft are able to get the end users to find the faults in the service pack before it is released. Thus allowing them to fix them and look 'wonderful' whilst in the mean time denouncing the leak as irresponsible or unauthorised.

    How do you leak out a service pack beta by mistake? Either dodgy employees or dodgy company.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      wow... tinfoil hats anyone?!

      doesn't have to be MS who leaked it... probably one of the external "trusted" partners who test it

  3. EvilKurisu
    WTF?

    Crazy

    MS OS' are flaky enough at the best of times even after the so called beta period.

    So anyone feeling happy installing a leaked beta torrent of a SP1 must be out of their minds !

  4. David Austin

    title

    Apart from native USB 3.0 support, and the standard security rollup, there's nothing I'm pinning for for SP1.

    Compare and contrast with Vista SP1, where they had to rip the kernel out of 2008 Server to try and get the performance and stability back.

  5. burundi

    All part of the plan...

    /dons conspiracy theory tin foil hat

    It wouldn't surprise me, given the number of comments i've seen in relation to corporate rollouts of Windows 7 not happening until SP1 has been released, that this is all part of the Microsoft plan to encourage uptake of W7, SP1 will no doubt be minor but it reassures decision makers that the time has come to take the plunge.

    /removes tin foil hat and places in coat pocket for later.

    Tsk, still no black helicopter icon.

  6. Drefsab

    @Stone Fox

    They did that a while back with a lovely tool called removewat :)

  7. CovertEquation

    Can't wait for R2

    I dunno about anyone else, but I'm excited for the un-upgradable R2 release of 7. I loved having to reformat to 2008 in production, seems only fitting I'd have to do it for my desktops too...

    1. Alan W. Rateliff, II
      Paris Hilton

      No, really, this R2 stuff is bullshit

      I was a little late to the 2008 party. After being particularly burned, and subsequently pissed off by, the betas and original releases of Vista and 2008, the majority of my customers decided, and I encouraged them, to stick with XP and 2003.

      Come to a couple of years later and I am experiencing a completely different aspect of 2008. Without going into too much detail, suffice to say speed, stability, and really damn usable functions. Short chuckle here, to my surprise that everything I like about 2008 came in R2. So for installations with the original 2008 (Vista Server,) either by timely purchase or simple licensing, none of the "good" bits are available. You want to get the functionality which arguably should have been in 2008? You have to go 2008 R2 (7 Server,) which is a completely different product, completely new purchase, and completely new installation.

      But, hey, we should have learned this technique from 98 Second Edition, right? Apparently not. Server 2003 R2 was similar.

      Microsoft has taken the bat to your knees with 7 and 2008 R2. No upgrade path from XP? Why not? Can anyone give a real technical reason for this? Nope, just a big fuck you for not supporting Vista. Well, you had your chance, now suffer, sucker.

      With XP and 2003 I supported Microsoft; it really seemed like we were being listened to. Then somewhere along the way it all fell to hell: the whole R2-thing, Stupid Licensing Tricks(tm) with Small Business Server which essentially destroyed the whole attraction to the product, XP-FU-7, and more.

      As a partner, I pushed Microsoft product on my customers because, frankly, it was the only full game in the market. Sure you could cobble a bunch of open source stuff together and make it work, but if you wanted a guarantee of operational stability -- please refrain from laughing, I have 2003 servers running which are seven years old and not a damned peep out of them -- support, and compatibility, Microsoft had it.

      But now I feel more like the guy you befriended so you could bed my sister. And now that you are doing my sister, you no longer need me as a friend.

      So for the Microsoft fanboi who modded Covert's comment down, I hope my sister realizes what an abusive, dumb prick you are before you have kids. Or Microsoft. Or whatever.

      Paris, whatev.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Halo

    Change in attitude towards Windows?

    i think it shows that the majority of people's attitudes towards Microsofts' Windows software is changing to one where they actually DO like it.

    the onyl things that get leaked early are things that people would actually get excited about, or at least would be interested in, and the leak of a lowly beta servicepack reinforces this.

    Maybe MS are doing something right after all.

    (they're still a little bit evil though...)

  9. Tom 35

    Just call it marketing pack 1

    As it's not a real service pack.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Grenade

      Here we go!

      good god, go crawl under your copy of XP SP2.

      "Service pack"

      is a package of all service updates, with a possibility of some feature tweeks

      How many times do people need to hear this before they under stand!

      OK take a windows 7 installation, install all available updates, that will give you something close to what a fresh install of W7 SP1 will give, minus a couple of feature updates amounting to very little. XP SP2 had some serious changes becaue the OS was and still is crap, that does not mean every service pack will have major updates.

      The only way MS can tell how well the OS works is by people installing it, yes that means technically we are all beta testers, the reason being there are simply too many different hard and software combos available to try them all, if an OS is having serious issues with a large chunk of the public than they may work up a much more in depth Service pack targeting these areas. Since Win 7 is by and large very good its very unlikely the SP will be anything other than a pack of service updates (plus a few driver updates)

      They are not taking you for a ride, they are not crap at their jobs, you have unrealistic expectations and a general lack of understanding of the way the world works.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        clearly you are unaware of some of the threads on the microsoft "support" site

        otherwise you'd know that there are some features with major issues which are yet to be sorted out

        e.g. Windows 7's dire inability to cope properly with monitor switching

  10. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Hindsight.

    I bet Jacqui Smith is kicking herself.

  11. Scarborough Dave
    Thumb Up

    Having moved from Vista to W7 recently

    I am very pleased with the move, but would have prefered a cheaper OS price.

    W7 is more stable and seems quicker at the moment than Vista, seems more backward compatible too.

    Though do hope W7 SP1 has some of the features of Unbutu's recently release!

    Maybe with an apple lower panel too option?

    I think SP1 will be minor system tweaks and a few consumer related bells and whistles.

    Overall I think the lessons from ME/Vista have been well learnt.

  12. David McMahon
    Gates Horns

    Tested?

    Has anyone tested it?

    Not a risk for me! Mind you im "still" using Windows XP! Funny how that seems like nice distant memories to people! I have been put off Vista and 7 because I had a Vista SP0 PC once! 1GB and onboard GPU yum!

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